UNC Health’s Journey to Standardize Privileging
About the Customer
UNC Health is a not-for-profit, academic health care system that's CVO credentials over 8,000 providers. As UNC Health continued to expand, they decided it was time to upgrade their credentialing solution from EchoCredentialing to CredentialStream to better fit their needs as a rapidly growing organization. UNC Health chose CredentialStream for it's standardized privileging, library of continuously updated privilege forms, and the automation features.
Overview
UNC Health is a not-for-profit, academic healthcare system owned by the state of North Carolinaand based in Chapel Hill. The system comprisesUNC Hospitals and its provider network, the clinicalprograms of the UNC School of Medicine, 24hospitals and with numerous clinics and ambulatorycenters statewide. Its CVO credentials over 8,000providers.
The organization is focused on changing lives forthe better by improving the health and well-being ofNorth Carolinians. Exploding growth and an influx ofnew providers were the catalysts for UNC Health'sdecision to seek an updated privileging solution thatfully maximized technology.
Key Challenges
Staffing:
More than 500 credentialed providers per FTE means the team must maximize use oftechnology.
Growth:
As new hospitals joined UNC Health, the number of crossover providers expanded.These providers grew increasingly frustrated with the need to complete multiple formsand the variation in privileging criteria.
Buy-In
UNC Health identified a desire to standardize privileging in 2014 with a system-wide tool, but the immediate need to onboard new hospitals and providers tookprecedence. UNC Health moved privileging online, but did not obtain full leadershipbuy-in and funding to standardize privileging across the system until 2022.
Solution Selection Process
UNC Health has long been committed to process excellence, maximizing technology andoperating in an electronic and paperless environment. In 2014, they established a CVOfor their entire health system and set their sights on standardizing privileges system-wide. Achieving that goal has been a gradual process that began with moving all currentprivilege forms online and making them accessible via a centralized portal supported byEchoCredentialing, a HealthStream legacy product.
With that move complete, the team was able to access the variation in forms and the wayin which privilege criteria differed from one hospital to another. They knew they neededto standardize privileges across the system to support the growing number of crossoverproviders who were frustrated by requests to complete multiple forms and the variation incriteria from hospital to hospital.
HealthStream and their solutions had served UNC Health well over the years. And, theopportunity to take advantage of the Privilege Preview offer which allowed UNC Healthto sign a no-cost agreement for access to CredentialStream so they could immediatelyget to work on standardizing privileging - felt like a great fit. With a library of continuouslyupdated, best-practice, evidence-based, specialty-specific privilege forms, UNC Health feltconfident that Privilege Preview and ultimately the CredentialStream solution would savethey time by eliminating the need to research and create forms from scratch. In addition,UNC Health knew CredentialStream would enable more automation and enterprise-wideprocess alignment. The incorporation of all the provider data and Health Alliance data willbecome the single source of truth across the organization.
Results
Developing standardized forms tend to be the most challenging part of a privilegingproject, and the CVO team at UNC Health is well on their way to accomplishing this task.To date, they have:
Built a Solid Foundation
With VerityStream's guidance, UNC Health has established a project structure and a strongfoundation for success. UNC Health's CMO Subgroup is comprised of CMO's who are wellequipped to examine forms and provide feedback.
Created a Forms Checklist
UNC Health is taking advantage of HealthStream's Privileging Grid, a checklist that guidesthem through form selection and set up. Via the Grid, they can view CrendentialStream'sextensive library of 1000+ forms, select, and modify the forms that meet their needs.
Launched a Forms Pilot
Despite pandemic-related challenges, the CVO team has been working with two of thesystem's larger hospitals to draft forms. These forms have been heavily influenced byCredentialStream's Privileging Forms Library, which features forms curated accordingto industry and accreditation standards. The team has focused on developing the moststraightforward forms first, such as Rheumatology. Forms that are more complex will bereviewed next, such as Cardiology.
Looking Ahead
As initial forms are drafted, UNC Health's CVO will be "cross-walking" the forms across thesystem for approval. The goal is to approve and implement as many multi-facility forms aspossible, which will simplify life for crossover providers. Once forms are approved, they willbe configured in CredentialStream and providers' current privileges will be updated. UNCHealth plans to be fully utilizing CredentialStream for privileging in 2023.
"Keeping the end in mind is critical with a project likethis. We've had the goal of improving our privilegeforms, standardizing our process, and maximizing ouruse of technology as a focus throughout our journey.Having this vision has helped keep us on track,despite having to navigate growth and unexpectedissues like the pandemic along the way."
Linda Waldorf, BS, CPMSM, CPCS, FMSP, System Director,UNC Health Centralized Credentialing Office